Huckleberries: Sandpoint school counselor Jeralyn Mire joins Michelle Obama at farewell address

That dark-haired woman standing behind Michelle Obama at the first lady’s farewell speech Friday looked familiar because she is. Jeralyn Mire, an Idaho School Counselor of the Year award winner, was captured smiling in several Associated Press photos and on TV during the emotional speech.

Mire and other honorees from across the nation were invited to be part of the historic moment. One of those who spotted Mire in the background during television coverage was retired Sandpoint High School teacher Marianne Love, who is a fan of Mire and the first lady.

In her Slight Detour blog, Love, who has known Mire since the counselor was a precocious 1-year-old hamming it up at church, describes her as a treasure for Idaho and her community. Quoth Love: “She is admired and loved and highly respected for the innovative and tireless efforts she continually makes on behalf of the futures of young people in our area.” The same could be said for the outgoing first lady.

Don’t book ’em Dano

That fender-bender at Poleline Avenue and Greensferry Road in Post Falls Tuesday involved a Subaru Forester and a “fully loaded” Post Falls school bus – 911-speak for a full house of noisy students. A responding officer told his colleague on the scene to make sure that he asked each student where s/he was riding on the bus before letting them off to board a relief bus. How would you like to interview a busload of hyper students after a small crash on their way home from school? They don’t pay the police enough … Huckleberries can’t figure out why so many people were glad to see 2016 go. Yeah, Donald Trump won and we lost Princess Leia and her Momma. But didn’t the Cubs finally win the World Series? Always look for the silver lining.

Huckleberries

A Winter Driver’s Lament: Eric Barro of Coeur d’Alene saw the irony of winter driving in North Idaho earlier Monday. He survived a harrowing drive on icy I-90 with crazies hot-footing it on rubber tires and black ice – only to get stuck on the unplowed street in front of his driveway. Oh, the humanity … Sometimes, you have to give it up for the creativity of panhandlers. Jeanie Buchanan, of Spokane, gives props to a guy on Market Tuesday who signed: “Wanted: Pot and cookies” … In Kootenai County, you can find panhandlers at the entrances to the three Walmarts and few places else. Local gendarmes are good at giving the bum’s rush to the peeps with their hands out … It’s hard to get one past The S-R Opinion Editor Gary Crooks. He outed a prankster on Facebook Tuesday: “Today’s fake-name attempt in letter to editor: Benjamin Dover. Friends call him “Ben.” Still they try.

Parting shot

HucksOnline commenter Missy loves her hubby to death. But she can’t stand too much more of him this winter. He’s a framer. And the weather has been too nasty to build houses. He’s been home for 10 days and counting. And Missy is counting: “He’s driving me nuts!” she tells Huckleberries. He is not a ‘house-husband’ by any means, and he is going absolutely stir crazy all day while I work.” Missy ends with the plea: “Please, let this cold snap end!” Still six weeks till spring.